[Match Day] Bournemouth 1 - 3 Manchester United

Jose Mourinho is a manager all about big statements and here – emphatically – his new Manchester United threw down the gauntlet in the Premier League title race as they imperiously brushed aside Bournemouth.

Fortunate to be ahead at half-time to Juan Mata’s also fortunate goal they were dominant after the interval with further strikes from Wayne Rooney and, of course, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has now scored on his league debuts for United, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. United have match-winners – with the suspended Paul Pogba still to come - and won this match.

United did not play that well – not until that second-half – but have that knack of creating and claiming chances (unlike under Louis Van Gaal) and this was an impressive result against a Bournemouth side bolstered by their own summer signings and being made harder to break down by manager Eddie Howe who flooded the midfield.

Bournemouth showed that character in quickly pulling a goal back after Ibrahimovic made it 3-0, with Adam Smith superbly driving the ball past David De Gea from the area’s edge after the full-back had eked out space. Ibrahimovic had been even further out, 25 yards out, as he adeptly steered a low right-foot shot back across Artur Boruc and into the net to give United a cushion.

Mata – a surprise starter and perhaps only in the team because of Jesse Lingard’s injury – had put United ahead before half-time as he profited from a Bournemouth defensive howler.

Mata ran onto a woefully short back pass with his shot striking Boruc only to rebound and then ricochet – twice – off backtracking defender Simon Francis to drop back into the Spaniard’s path and he tucked it home. It made matters worse for Francis that the back-pass had been his.

Mata had been the subbed sub during the Community Shield and although Mourinho claimed post-match he was going nowhere it really remains to be seen what future he still has and how central he will be. He was subbed again here and received a slap on his back from Mourinho – rather than a slap across the face (figuratively not literally, of course).

After Boruc had saved from Rooney, after he latched onto Ibrahimovic’s clever flick and Steve Cook erred, and after the United captain had gone to ground easily in search of a penalty, there was a second goal. It followed a fine passing move from United although there was good luck also as the ball broke back to Antonio Valencia whose cross was miscued by Anthony Martial only for his shot to bounce up for Rooney to direct a header back across Boruc and into the goal. It almost meant that Rooney is now just four goals away from surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record of 249 goals.